Emerging Technologies in Governance Program Starts 10/27

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Isabella Guzman

The Professional Certificate Leading Smart Communities will be hosted online this fall by our friends at NCDD member org, the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civil Leadership! The intersection of government and technology has drastically changed in the past few years, and these changes are even more drastic with the health precautions needed due to COVID-19. Learn essential skills from leaders in government technology on how to better utilize #govtech, and impact of technology in the future. Don’t miss out on this training series – program starts in less than three weeks on Tuesday, October 27th! For more details on this virtual certificate program read below and find the original announcement here.

Creating a Better Future through Emerging Technologies

Due to the current situation surrounding COVID-19, we have adapted our traditional program to offer our first ever virtual Professional Certificate in Leading Smart Communities this Fall 2020 held via Zoom. This virtual offering will consist of a series of five, two-hour modules held over the course of five Tuesday afternoons from 3-5 pm (PST).

From online public participation platforms to blockchain, technology is fundamentally changing the government-resident relationship. The impact of technology is felt across all departments in municipal governments-from public safety to planning. Given the pace of change, it’s time for public policy schools to incorporate graduate-level education in the essential area of government technology (govtech).

In this fast-paced, first-of-its-kind Professional Certificate seminar, you will learn from leaders in government technology how to better use the new technology platforms of today, and gain a valuable understanding of the govtech “game changers” of the future.

Demonstrate your leadership through digital knowledge, skills, and expertise.
Differentiate yourself and showcase your advanced skills to your organization; be a champion for digital change!
Understand how technologies like blockchain, IoT, and AI will be impacting governments in the future.

Outcomes and Program Highlights

How did we get here? Understanding the past several years of dramatic changes in govtech. Social Media Strategy: How can we use online tools and social media to better engage our residents?
Understanding Gamechangers: Blockchain, IoT, AI, and more!
Running Data Analytics for Government: Getting control of “too much information”
Cyber Security for Government: Protecting your data from attack
Technethics: Learn how to think about new technologies through the lens of potential questions of ethics.

Session Dates

Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Speakers

Kamran Bakhtiari

This seminar is hosted by the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership.

You can find the original version on this on the Davenport Institute site at www.publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/davenport-institute/training/professional-certificate-in-leading-smart-communities.htm.

Exciting Updates from the Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Keiva Hummel

We received this announcement from NCDDer Peter Levine at Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life, sharing many exciting updates happening at Tisch that we wanted to help boost to the larger NCDD network. Don’t miss out on the next announcement and sign up for this newsletter via the Frontiers of Democracy Updates Email List linked here. Do you have information you’d like to share with the NCDD network? Then check out this page to learn how to boost information with the expansive coalition.

Update about Frontiers of Democracy and Civic Initiatives at Tufts

Via Peter Levine on email list for the annual Frontiers of Democracy conference at Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life.

RE: Frontiers of Democracy conference and/or the Summer Institute of Civic Studies at Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life. We canceled both of those events in 2020 due to COVID-19. We will make decisions early in 2021 about whether to hold them in-person or to offer online programming instead next summer. The dates for Frontiers will be June 25-27, 2021; the Summer Institute will be June 21-25.

In the meantime, we wanted to update you about several projects involving Tisch College that may interest you.

CivicGreen is a new collaborative project (and website) meant to enrich our democratic imagination and to expand our policy options for sustainable, resilient, and just responses to climate crisis in the United States in the coming decades. It locates civic engagement at the heart of work that needs to occur in communities of all kinds, across cities and regions, and among professional and other institutional partners that are key to solving problems for the long run. CivicGreen is fundamentally about civic democracy at the intersection of green strategies to address our ecological and climate crises and to build healthy and sustainable communities for all.

Equity in America is a new online tool that allows anyone to explore dimensions of equity and inequity in the USA and generate easily-interpreted statistics and graphics. It is meant to inform public debate and deliberation (including in classrooms). The site also presents “research briefs” on current topics, including COVID-19 and policing.

Political scientists may be interested in the new Civic Engagement Section of the American Political Science Association, which is open to all members of APSA, and the APSA’s Institute of Civically Engaged Research, which is also held annually at Tisch College.

In the domain of k-12 civic education, please stay tuned for Educating for American Democracy: A Roadmap for Excellence in History and Civics Education for All Learners, a major project of iCivics, the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University, Tisch College’s CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), and Tisch College itself.

For youth voting and civic engagement and college students’ political engagement, please follow CIRCLE and the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education.

The Civic Studies Major at Tufts is going strong and offers a distinctive mix of theoretical, empirical, and applied courses.

Registration Open for UNCG’s 2020 Virtual Conference

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Isabella Guzman

The NCDD network has been invited to join the University Network for Collaborative Governance‘s Virtual Conference this year and have the opportunity of sharing collaborative discourse on the future of our communities! The event will span three Fridays in October – the 26th and 23rd, and November 13th. This conference is great for those connected to a college or university, and interested in the tenets and implementation of collaborative governance. Make sure you register here by October 8th. Read below to learn more about the conference and find the original announcement here.

One last plug for today’s NCDD Online Engagement Showcase – you can still join this free event happening at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern, highlighting the many civic tech tools available for virtual engagement! Register ASAP here.

Reimaginings: What world do we want and how can collaborative governance help us get there?

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be holding 6 virtual conference sessions in 2020.

As UNCG gathers virtually together in 2020, we have the opportunity – as individuals and institutions – to reimagine our communities post-COVID19 and amid mass callings for racial justice. This reimagining can also include climate change, environmental justice, healthcare equities and revitalizing our democracy. This year, our annual conference will be held over the span of three days (2 sessions each day), giving us the chance to gather as a network and share, reflect and learn. During this time, we will be asking ourselves what is the role collaborative governance and its practices can and should play in supporting our communities addressing the challenges and issues raised throughout 2020?

The UNCG Conference is open to all people interested in collaborative governance and connected to a college or university. UNCG has student and working professional memberships.

Thematic Questions

In a period where we need to be careful about coming together in person, and yet the need for collaborative discourse is more needed than ever, what are ways we can create a sense of community and belonging through our work?
Post-Covid19, how can our centers / universities support communities in imagining and creating a better world?
What do emerging anti-racist practices and policies mean on individual and institutional levels for the field of collaborative governance?
What can we learn from each other about the lenses and approaches we are applying to ourselves, our work, and our organizations/institutions? How are we reaching out to others to listen, learn and grow? As we recognize and acknowledge, how do we move forward?
How are our various practices and the roles we play most useful or valuable in this time to deal with these issues?
How do we challenge ourselves to be more useful and relevant in helping our communities address these issues and create shared solutions?
What role can UNCG play to help our members do their work, listen, grow and learn?

Agenda Overview

Friday October 16th

12noon EST – 3pm EST (Opening Session / Panels in response to questions, breakouts following)
4pm EST – 6pm EST (Network Get Together – catch up with each other)

Friday October 23rd

12noon EST – 3pm EST (Lightning Talks / Case S
tories followed by discussion)
4pm EST – 6pm EST (Business meeting and Committee Sessions – Research / Scholarship, Teaching / Training, Practice / Engagement)

Friday November 13th

12noon EST – 3pm EST – Open Space on Aspirational UNCG work for 2020
4pm EST – 6pm EST Closing Discussions: Reflections on 2020 election and what it means for our field

For more information about the meeting, visit the an nual conference webpage.
To pay your annual dues, click here.

You can find the original version on this on the UNCG site at www.kitchentable.org/annual-conference.

Free NCDD Online Engagement Showcase Tomorrow – 9/29!

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Keiva Hummel

Did you know?! NCDD is hosting our first ever Online Engagement Showcase and it’s happening tomorrow! We’ve teamed up with the wonderful Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University to host this exciting free event happening on Tuesday, September 29th from 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific on Zoom and QiqoChat. RSVP at this link in order to save your spot!

The Online Engagement Showcase will feature synchronous tools and platforms that can help you with your virtual engagement. In this uniquely formatted event, you will have the opportunity to learn about numerous platforms in a booth format in QiqoChat, where participants can learn more about each tool they choose to. Presenters will be available in private zoom rooms for participants to engage with, ask questions, and learn more!

Some of the presenters will include:

Axis Workshops
Common Ground for Action
Ethelo
GroupMap
QiqoChat
And more!

Join us for this first event in what we hope will be a recurring series featuring these and other platforms and tools in the future! To register go to https://bit.ly/3gXkllb – this will take you directly to QiqoChat.

Our event flyer is linked here – please use this to spread the word with your networks: Showcase-Announcement!

NCDD is extremely grateful for the partnership of the Center for Public Deliberation on this event. We’ve been working on a resource to share of the different tools and platforms out there as well – stay tuned!

NCDD Proud Partner of Online Facilitation Unconference – #OFU2020!

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Isabella Guzman

NCDD is proud to be a partner of the Online Facilitation Unconference 2020 (#OFU2020), hosted by the Center for Applied Community Engagement LLC! Mark your calendars for October 19-25th, to join the 7th annual OFU event where attendees will have the opportunity to strengthen their virtual facilitation skills. FYI NCDD members can receive a 20% discount on tickets (see below for promo code)! We encourage you to read more about #OFU2020 in the post below and register here.

In addition, you can get a teaser of some helpful civic tech tools for virtual engagement work at NCDD’s Online Engagement Summit happening next week! This free event is co-hosted with the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University, and will be this coming Tuesday, September 29th from 1-3pm Eastern, 10am -12pm Pacific – more info on the summit here.

Mark Your Calendars: OFU20, October 19–25

For the seventh time since 2013, the Online Facilitation Unconference (OFU) will take place this October 19-25, once again alongside and as part of IAF’s International Facilitation Week.

OFU is an event for newbies and experts alike. Whether you are a seasoned facilitator pro or a beginner, whether you are already highly skilled using technology for this work or still trying to figure out the possibilities – OFU provides a venue where you can ask and answer questions, share and solicit advice, discuss your latest project, challenge or idea, explore new tools, discover new tricks, and find like-minded colleagues.

Register to join here! Folks in the NCDD network can use the discount code “OFU_NCDD_20” to receive 20% off your tickets.

The Program

At its core, OFU is an unconference, meaning the vast majority of the program will be created by the participants in real time based on everyone’s interests and needs. The unconference sessions will take place in the second half of the week (Thursday through Saturday, October 22–24).

To help everyone warm up a little, we will offer a handful of pre-scheduled “seed” sessions, which will take place earlier in the week (Monday through Wednesday, October 19–21).

New this year, we will offer a mix of sponsored sessions from our tech exhibitors. These may include demos, guided tours, cases studies, or conversations about where the industry is headed, though how a sponsor structures their session(s) in terms of duration and format is completely up to them. These sessions will also take place earlier in the week, and we encourage our participants to explore the tools further during the unconference and – where appropriate – possibly integrate them into their sessions.

With that in mind, here’s what’s on the agenda… [Click Here to learn more about the OFU agenda!]

We expect to see a lot of new faces this year, particularly those practitioners who until recently were still on the fence regarding delivering their skills and services in virtual environments but have since been forced to jump in with both feet due to the pandemic.

Can’t wait to see everyone. Hope you can join us!

You can find even more information on the OFU site at www.ofuexchange.net/.

Join Us for the Online Engagement Showcase!

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Courtney Breese

NCDD is excited to partner with the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University to host our first Online Engagement Showcase! This free event takes place September 29th from 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific on Zoom and QiqoChat. RSVP at this link in order to save your spot!

Some of the presenters will include:

Axis Workshops
Common Ground for Action
Ethelo
GroupMap
QiqoChat
And more!

Our event flyer is linked here – please use this to spread the word with your networks: Showcase-Announcement!

Watch the Recording: Launching With the People!

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Courtney Breese

On August 27th we held our August Confab, which served as the launch of the With the People Initiative. Thanks to everyone who attended and explored the ways they can get involved!

A special thanks to Betty Knighton, Darla Minnich, Kara Lindaman, and Kara Dillard for sharing with us the resources, tools, and opportunities available to those who wish to take part! And thanks to the many national partners of this initiative for supporting it so far:

All In Campus Democracy Challenge | Civic Nation
American Democracy Project
Campus Compact
Kettering Foundation
NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students
National Issues Forums Institute
Up to Us

All of the details about this initiative, access to resources and materials are posted on the National Issues Forums website: https://www.nifi.org/en/with-the-people. Furthermore, you can learn more about the Common Ground for Action platform at https://www.nifi.org/en/cga-online-forums.

For those who were unable to attend the event, you can access the recording at this link.

NCDD can’t wait to hear about all the great events held this fall and beyond!

To learn more about NCDD’s Confab Calls and hear recordings of others, visit www.ncdd.org/events/confabs. We love holding these events and we want to continue to elevate the work of our field with Confab Calls and Tech Tuesdays. It is through your generous contributions to NCDD that we can keep doing this work! That’s why we want to encourage you to support NCDD by making a donation or becoming an NCDD member today (you can also renew your membership by clicking here). Thank you!

NCDD Member Discount Available on TPC’s IAP2 Trainings

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Keiva Hummel

Now is a great time to strengthen your D&D skills and knowledge, which is why we are excited to announce the upcoming training schedule for NCDD member org, The Participation Company. TPC offers certification in the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)‘s model, and dues-paying NCDD members get a discount on registration! You can read more about the trainings in the TCP announcement below and learn more here.

The Participation Company’s 2020-2021 Training Events

Completely revamped in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TPC is pleased to announce that we are ready to offer on-line courses:

The International Association for Public Participation’s flagship Foundations Program. Module One introduces a proven method for planning effective public participation and Module Two equips students with 40+ diverse methods for accomplishing engagement objectives. Both courses are delivered in half-day sessions full of interactive exercises and opportunities to get to work with your fellow students virtually. Class size, as always, is limited to 25 students to provide the maximum opportunity to learn.

IAP2’s Foundations in Public Participation (9- 4 hour on-line sessions) Certificate Program:

Planning for Effective Public Participation (5- 4 hour on-line sessions)
Techniques for Effective Public Participation (4- 4 hour on-line sessions)*

*The Planning module is a prerequisite to Techniques module

PLANNING SEP 28 – OCT 2; TECHNIQUES OCT 5 – 8
PLANNING NOV 2 – 6; TECHNIQUES NOV 9 – 12
PLANNING NOV 30 – DEC 4; TECHNIQUES DEC 7 – 10
PLANNING JAN 25 – 29; TECHNIQUES FEB 1 – 4
PLANNING FEB 22 – 26; TECHNIQUES MAR 1 – 4
PLANNING APR 12 – 16; TECHNIQUES APR 19 – 22
PLANNING MAY 10 – 14; TECHNIQUES MAY 17 – 20

The International Association for Public Participation’s Strategies for Dealing with Opposition and Outrage in Public Participation. This four (4)- 3 hour on-line sessions of conflict resolution training workshop builds on IAP2’s global best practices in public involvement and the work of Dr. Peter Sandman, offered in partnership with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).

IAP2’s Strategies for Dealing with Opposition and Outrage in Public Participation (4- 3.0 hour on-line sessions)

STRATEGIES NOV 16 -19

The Participation Company’s new course on Building Public Trust in Government
This two (2)- 3.0 hour on-line workshop will help you and your team (re)build trust with oftentimes cynical, skeptical and oppositional citizens. Attendees will better understand and manage interactions with highly suspicious and skeptical citizens who don’t believe in government authority or the value of public service professionals. Learn more about the course or choose your date below:

TPC’s Building Public Trust in Government:

BUILD TRUST OCT 20 – 21

For more detailed information: https://theparticipationcompany.com/training/

The Participation Company (TPC) offers discounted rates to members of AICP, ICMA, IAP2, and NCDD.
AICP members can earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for these courses.

Join the August Confab: A National Initiative for In-Person and Online Issue Discussions

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Courtney Breese

Please join NCDD and the National Issues Forums on Thursday, August 27 at 1:00 PM Eastern/10:00 AM Pacific for the August Confab and launch of With the People, a national initiative that supports deliberative discussions of issues that impact our nation. With the People is launching in time for Constitution Week but will be available on an ongoing basis!

With the People is based on the idea that democracy is strengthened when citizens, institutions, and governments find ways to talk and work with each other. On this Confab, we’ll hear from several organizers about this initiative and the myriad opportunities for folks in the dialogue & deliberation field to get involved. This FREE event is open to all – register today to join us!

With the People includes a wide range of current issues, with new issues to be added in the future.

Voting: Safeguarding and Improving Our Election System
Policing: Ensuring Equal Justice and Fair Treatment
Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus
Immigration in America
Back to Work: Rebuilding Our Economy
A New Land: Historic Decisions from the spring of 1787

Discussions can be convened in a variety of venues:

online or in-person
on campuses, in communities, in classrooms

The National Issues Forums Institute is providing complimentary resources:

Nonpartisan, multi-perspective issue discussion guides
Moderator and convenor supports, including strategies for moving online
Questionnaires
“Constitution Connectors” that provide Constitutional context for public issues
Research on impact of deliberative dialogue on students’ learning and on civic life

National Partners to Date

All In Campus Democracy Challenge | Civic Nation
American Democracy Project
Campus Compact
Kettering Foundation
NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation
National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students
National Issues Forums Institute
Up to Us

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn more – register today to secure your spot!

About NCDD’s Confab Calls

Confab bubble image NCDD’s Confab Calls are opportunities for members (and potential members) of NCDD to talk with and hear from innovators in our field about the work they’re doing and to connect with fellow members around shared interests. Membership in NCDD is encouraged but not required for participation. Confabs are free and open to all. Register today if you’d like to join us!

Join in on the AllSides Connect “Hackathon” Starting Today!

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Keiva Hummel

All are invited to test drive the freshly renamed civil discourse digital platform, AllSides Connect, and give your feedback! For the next three days, August 18th, 19th, and 20th – NCDDers AllSides and Living Room Conversations are hosting the AllSides Connect “Hackathon”, and we encourage you to check it out! Folks may remember the platform by its’ former name, “Mismatch”. This platform is an opportunity to build connections and share conversation, which many of us are greatly in need of during these times of increased physical distancing due to the coronavirus. Read more in the post below and sign up here! Thank you so much to Kristin Hansen, Director of AllSides Connect, for sharing this announcement with us!

AllSides Connect “Hackathon!”

AllSides and Living Room Conversations request your help! Please sign up for the AllSides Connect “Hackathon,” taking place this week – August 18th, 19th, and 20th.

What is AllSides Connect?
A realtime video platform that is purpose-built to foster civil discourse and dialogue across geographic distance and political, racial, faith-based, and other divides in America. AllSides Connect has been built collaboratively by Living Room Conversations, AllSides, and Bridge the Divide. AllSides Connect is intended to broadly serve and scale the bridging/dialogue/civil discourse field. (You might know the platform by its prior name, “Mismatch.”)

What’s the Hackathon, and how do I sign up?
Join the hackathon to experience online civil discourse, test drive the realtime video platform, and give the AllSides Connect team your feedback on the experience … all in 30 minutes or less!

Best of all, you don’t need to be a techie to “hack” AllSides Connect … non-techies needed!

All you need to do is sign up for one 30-minute slot on Tues Aug 18, Wed Aug 19, or Thurs Aug 20. Up to six people can sign up for each time slot.

Here’s the link to sign up: AllSides Connect Hackathon – Sign Up Form – Aug 18, 19, 20

What happens next?
Next, you’ll receive a calendar invite, a URL link, and some basic instructions about how to join your scheduled conversation. You’ll be joined with one or more other “hackers” to hold a short online conversation, with a built-in guide.

Thank you for helping these organizations to scale civil discourse, respectful dialogue, and empathetic listening across America!

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